Casing apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A CASE LOAD OF STACKED ARTICLES IS PROVIDED BY ELEVATING A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES IN A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING ROW AND REPEATING THE ELEVATING STEP UNTIL A ROW OF STACKS IS FORMED. THE ROW OF STACKS IS THEN SHIFTED LATERALLY TO AN OFFSET POSITION AS A UNIT AND THEN MOVED IN A DIRECTION LONGITUDINALLY OF THE OFFSET ROW TO PROVIDE CASELOADS OF STACKED ARTICLES. BY PROVIDING MEANS FOR ELEVATING A RELATIVELY LARGE NUMBER OF ARTICLES AT ONE TIME AND COLLECTING A NUMBER OF STACKS IN AN OFFSET POSITION A RELATIVELY HIGH CASING SPEED IS ACHIEVED.

March 16, 1971 M. SALWASSER CASING APPARATUS AND METHOD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Oct. 15. 1969 m VENTOE MEL VIM 514A [M45552 March 16, 1971 M.SALWASSER 3,570,209

\ PPARAT United States Patent 3,570,209 CASING APPARATUS AND METHODMelvin Salwasser, P.O. Box 548, Reedley, Calif. 93654 Filed Oct. 15,1969, Ser. No. 866,480 Int. Cl. 1865b 35/40 US. Cl. 53-26 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A case load of stacked articles is providedby elevating a plurality of articles in a horizontally extending row andrepeating the elevating step until a row of stacks is formed. The row ofstacks is then shifted laterally to an offset position as a unit andthen moved in a direction longitudinally of the offset row to providecaseloads of stacked articles. By providing means for elevating arelatively large number of articles at one time and collecting a numberof stacks in an offset position a relatively high casing speed isachieved.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for casing similarlyshaped articles such as cartons. It is customary to arrange a caseloadof articles in stacks and insert such caseload into a paperboard case bymeans of a power driven case loading ram. See, for example, US. Pat.Nos. 2,941,339 and 3,097,577. However, in order to achieve a high speedin loading the cases it is necessary to be able to accumulate at thesame speed or an ever higher speed the number of articles constitutingthe contents of the case.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a methodand apparatus for collecting, at a relatively high rate of speed, thecontents of a case and providing stacks of articles so that a number ofstacks constituting a caseload may be arranged at the case loading ramfor insertion into the case.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a method andapparatus for conveying articles at a high speed to an orientationstation at which they are arranged into stacks so as to be readilyavailable for insertion into the case by the case loading ram.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification and from the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a semischematic perspective showing a preferred embodiment ofthe apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a schematic piping and wiring diagram for the apparatus ofFIG. 1 with the various portions of the apparatus expanded relative toeach other for clarity.

Articles such as cartons indicated at 1 are conveyed to the apparatus ofthe present invention by a conventional conveyor 2 which feeds thearticles onto the platform 3 of a lift generally designated 4 whichincludes downwardly extending rear flange 5 to act as a stop for thearticles *1 when the lift 4 is elevated out of its normal lowerposition.

When the number of articles for which the lift 4 is designed have beenloaded on the lift from conveyor 2 the forward article of the rowactuates a lever 7 (FIG. 2) which closes a switch 8 to initiate upwardmovement of the lift. The vertical stroke of lift 4 is suflicient tourge the row of articles thereon to a position past a pair of springurged pivoted detents 10 which serve to hold the elevated row while thelift 4 returns to its lower position.

After a plurality of rows have been elevated to form stacks having apredetermined number of tiers, a switch 11 is actuated by one of the topcartons of the stacks to cause the advance of cylinder 12 provided witha pusher plate 13. The stroke of cylinder 12 is sufiiicent to offset thestacks on detents 10 to a position spaced from the vertical plane of theconveyor 2 and detents 10. The cylinder 12 "Ice is then retracted toawait the completion of the next row of stacks.

When the stacks of cartons are in their offset position they are actedupon by a plural stage ram which may consist of two or more cylindersarranged in series. In the embodiment disclosed herein three cylindersare connected in alignment to constitute the feeding ram 17 and saidcylinders are designated 18, 19 and 20. The details of ram 17 are notshown, but it will be understood that means are provided for supportingcylinders 19, 20 for axial translation so that cylinders 19, 20 as aunit may be pushed by the advance of the piston of cylinder '18 andsimilarly cylinder 20 may be pushed by the advance of the piston ofcylinder 19. In the particular arrangement disclosed, all threecylinders are returned to their retracted position simultaneously. Thefirst actuation of ram 17 is the advance of cylinder 18 which has asufliciently long stroke to cause the pusher plate 21 of ram 17 toengage the trailing stack of cartons in the offset position and move therow of stacks to a position so that the first three stacks in this caseare in registration with the pusher plate 23 of a case loading ramgenerally designated 24. The presence of the forward stack of the row isdetected by a pivoted lever 25 which actuates a switch 26 to close acircuit to advance ram 24 so as to load the forward stack into a case28.

Upon retraction of the case loading ram 24 the next three stacks of therow are pushed by ram 17 to case loading position and the abovedescribed operation is repeated. In a similar manner the last threestacks are advanced to the case loading position.

Considering the apparatus in somewhat greater detail, the lift 4 isactuated by a vertically disposed cylinder 30 and includes a switchactuator 31 which, in the advanced position of cylinder 30, closes apair of switches 32, 33. The closing of switch 32 completes a circuitthrough the retract end of a four-way valve 34 which reverses thecylinder 30 and causes the lift '4 to move downwardly to its lowerposition. (In FIG. 2 the Retract and Advance ends of four-way valves aremarked R and A respectively.) When the above mentioned switch 11 hasbeen actuated by a complete stack of cartons a circuit is completedthrough switch 33 which is closed by the advance movement of cylinder 30so as to complete a circuit through the advance end of four-way valve 36to advance the cylinder 12 moving the row of stacks to their offsetposition. Advance of lift 4 is prevented, except when cylinder 12 isretracted, by means of switch 41 which is closed by pusher plate 13 ofcylinder '12 in its retracted position.

The advance of cylinder 12 causes a switch 37 to be closed whichcompletes the circuit through the advance end of valve 38 therebyadvancing cylinder 18 of the ram 17. However, the circuit of the advanceend of cylinder 18 also includes a safety switch 39 which is closed bythe pusher plate 23 of cylinder 24 when said pusher plate is in itsretracted position. By this arrangement it is impossible for the ram 17to advance until the case loading cylinder 24 has been retracted. Thecircuit of the retract end of four-way valve 36 includes a switch 42actuated by the first advance of ram 17 thus holding the cylinder 12 inretracted position while ram 17 is operating. The advance side circuitof cylinder 12 includes a switch 47 which is closed by the pusher plate21 of ram 17 in its retracted position.

After the first group of three stacks has been inserted in the case 28the return of case loading cylinder 24 to its retracted position causesactuation of switch 40 to com plete a circuit through the advance end ofthe second stage valve 43. Actuation of valve 43 is prevented, exceptafter completion of the first stage, by a switch 44 which is closed whenthe ram 17 has completed its first stage through actuation of cylinder18.

The last group of three stacks is advanced to the case loading stationby the third cylinder 20 of ram 17 which in turn is actuated by afour-way valve 44 also controlled by safety switch 40 and by a switch 45which is actuated by the ram 17 completing the second stage.

Reversal of the ram 17 to its retracted position is initiated by theclosing of a switch 48 when the ram 17 has been advanced to its mostadvanced position. Also in the circuit that energizes the retract endsof valves 38, 43 and 44- is a switch 50 which is closed by movement ofthe case loading cylinder to its advance position.

The circuit which energizes the advance end of fourway valve 52controlling cylinder 24 includes, in addition to the above noted switch26, a switch 53 which is closed by case 28 'when the latter has beenpositioned in its proper position for receiving the caseload. Theretract end of valve 52 controlling cylinder 24 is actuated by theengagement of the ram of cylinder 24 with a switch 54 signalling thecompletion of the case loading step.

The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is obviously only oneof many patterns which may be employed in using the invention. Insteadof feeding three stacks to the case loading ram at each step more orless stacks may obviously be fed, the important advantage provided bythe invention being the fast orientation of caseloads at an intermediatepoint between the conveyor 2 and the case loader. Instead of one row ofcartons on conveyor 2 it will be apparent that a plurality of rows maybe provided for to further increase speed.

I claim:

1. In the method of casing stacks of articles, the steps of:

conveying articles in single file to an elevating station to form a rowof articles of a predetermined number, successively elevating rows ofarticles to form a row of stacks having a predetermined number of tiers,offsetting said row of stacks as a unit horizontally to an intermediateposition,

successively and intermittently moving said row as a unit from saidintermediate position in a direction 4 longitudinally of said row and inan amount equal to a predetermined group of articles constituting afractional part of said row, and

successively and intermittently oifsetting each group horizontally outof the vertical plane of said row. '2. The method of claim 1 whereinsaid group is inserted into a case at said last mentioned offsettingstep. 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said row has at least twice thenumber of articles as a group.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein two rows of articles are conveyed insingle file to said elevating station and simultaneously elevated toform two rows of stacks, and wherein said two rows are simultaneouslymoved as a unit and two groups offset to case two layers of articles.

"5. Casing apparatus comprising: conveyor means for conveying articlesin single file to form a row of articles of a predetermined number,

elevator means for successively elevating rows from said conveyor meansto form a row of stacks having a predetermined number of tiers,

first pusher means for offsetting said row of stacks horizontally to anintermediate position,

second pusher means for intermittently moving said row of stacks in adirection longitudinally of said row and in an amount at each movementequal to a fractional part of the length of said row,

third pusher means for inserting said amount equal to a fractional partof the length of said row into a case.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,924,051 2/1960 More 53-262,956,381 10/1960 Chauvin et a1 5326 THERON E. CONDON, Primary ExaminerR. L. SPRUILL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

